Kinnock’s spokesman is top of the crop?

From European Voice's Entre-Nous column

4/14/04, 5:00 PM CET

Updated 4/23/14, 8:29 PM CET

EN can reveal that Commission Vice-President Neil Kinnock’s spokesman Michael Mann has passed the institution’s arduous entry test, two years after sending in his application – meaning he gets to stay on when his boss leaves Brussels in November.

The former European Voice reporter tells us he would like to remain in the press room, even though his concours was aimed at agricultural specialists. Mann began his career in Brussels by writing about farming policy. That means the race is on for Mann to find someone else to spin for. So, what price a job with the next agriculture commissioner?

There is something splendidly parochial about the state-aid investigation launched last week by the European Commission’s competition department into JC Decaux, a French advertising company. The question …